After Us
by LeaderofBrooklyn
Summary: Even if the demigods loss the Giant War, they refuse to be forgotten.
1. What Was Left

**This is to celebrate that I reached 50 reviews on my other story "Better." It's going to be short, only three chapters. The chapters are going to be pretty short too. But I hope that you will enjoy this story to the fullest until it's done. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to PJO, Rick Riordan does.**

* * *

The girl entered the field. The first thing that she noticed about it was how...depressing it looked. Then again, the fact that it was dark and raining contributed to it. The area that she entered looked destroyed and forgotten. There were twelve fallen buildings making a kind of u-shape. The ground had burn marks all over it and was littered with what looked like...swords? And was that a bow and arrow?

She took a step inside the field and felt something triangular and hard under her foot. The girl lifted it up and saw that it was a knife, a bronze, and really sharp knife. Despite the fact it was probably here for a really long time, it looked shiny and new- perfectly capable of killing anything that it came in contact with.

Shrugging, the girl put it in her back pack. A weapon was a weapon after all.

This place wasn't very different from all the other areas that she visited. It looked liked it was ransacked and destroyed in the process. There was an aura of sadness and hopelessness surrounding the place. She wasn't around when _it _came. But according to her parents, it swept in like a storm- completely unexpected and disastrous. The effects were even more so.

It has been approximately 20 years since that happened.

The girl shivered. It was cold (well, it was always cold) and her clothes were already soaking wet. Her legs were sore from walking too much and her head hurt from that impact she took yesterday. Her stomach growled in hunger. The only reason she came to this place was to find shelter and hopefully, food. She saw a sign a little while ago that said this place had strawberries.

She looked around. Nope, no red fruit in sight. She should've expected this to happen. Up ahead, the girl saw a house that was still standing. By the looks of it, it was on its last legs.

The girl sighed. Oh well. It had to do.

Slowly, she walked to the house. As she walked, she noticed that the house was painted sky-blue- a rather unusual color. Even from this distance, she could see it clearly. Though, it was rotten and the walls had several holes. In fact, some of them looked like bullet holes. The girl figured that this was probably used as a shelter or something.

She enters the building and decides to search it for food, clothing, and maybe even a few survivors.

"Hello? Anybody here? Hello?" The house was bigger from the inside. She said this in each and every room that she visited. And every time, there was no response.

Giving up, she sat down on the wooden floor of one of the rooms. It had a desk and a bunch of cardboard boxes, stacked neatly on top of each other. It looked like an abandoned office.

Having nothing better else to do, the girl decided to open the nearest one to her. Perhaps it has something useful that she could use. When she opened it, a cloud of dust blew out and the girl ended up coughing and hacking because of it.

She waved the air around her in hopes of trying to get some of it out. After she was finished, she examined the contents.

The first thing that the girl noticed was a piece of paper that was on top. It looked like a note of some sort. The girl frowned. She couldn't read at all. In this world, being literate really wasn't your top priority.

She tucked the piece of paper into her pocket. The girl knew someone that lived before the apocalypse that could read this out for her. Assuming that person was in the same location as last time, finding her should be easy.

The girl decided to look at the other things that were in the box.

After the note, there was a picture with several, smiling people in it. The girl guessed this was probably taken after the apocalypse. No one could look _that _happy during this time. The glass frame was shattered, as if it was dropped on the floor. The frame holding in the picture had writing on the back of it. Again, the girl didn't know what it said. But it was dated back to 2011, one year before it happened.

The people in the picture were all wearing bright, orange t-shirts. There was writing on it and right below that was a...winged horse? The girl couldn't remember what it was called. From left to right, there was blonde girl with stormy grey eyes. She was holding hands with a black haired, green eyed boy. They were outside and the sun was happily shining upon them. They looked like they were happy and were content with their lives.

The girl felt slightly bitter and jealous. It wasn't fair that she was born after the "end of the world." She never got to experienced the joys and safety of the world before her. All she knew was survival and the pain of losing someone close to you. These probably were probably dead by now, probably killed off by the monsters of this world.

There were more pictures inside of it, each one depicting a different person. But all of them was wearing the same attire as the other two. There was a boy with black curly hair standing next to a metal dragon. He had a crazy smile on his face and was surrounded by two more people, a boy and a girl. The girl was ridiculously pretty, with brown hair and a tom-boyish appearance. right next to her was a tall guy with blonde hair. He had electric blue eyes that looked at the girl with admiration. They were probably lovers. If only she could read, then maybe she would find out their names.

As the girl looked through them, she found herself getting more and more absorbed with this place. Some of the pictures were old, dating back until the 1800's. The girl furrowed her eyebrows. She knew that something important happened during that time, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

Finally, the she closed the box. The girl was genuinely interested in this place, but it had nothing of use to her. Although, the girl would go back to search this place again if she had time. It seemed like an interesting place to explore. Just in case she wouldn't make it, she put some of the photographs into her pocket. There was a slim chance that her friend would know them, but it was worth a try.

The girl couldn't help thinking what life was before the apocalypse. Obviously it was better than it was now. Once upon a time, these people led happy, fulfilling lives. And now, they're just people in a picture. Forgotten in a cardboard box.

The girl laid her back on the walls. It slightly creaked under her weight, but it still held her up. She reached into her backpack and brought out a thin, blue blanket. It didn't help very much to keep her warm, but it was something. For now she had to get some rest.

The girl closed her eyes. The sound of raindrops making a soft patter on the roof of the house helped sooth her. She had a long day ahead of her tomorrow and she was going to need to conserve her energy to make it to the next day. And the day after that, and the day after that.

* * *

**The girl isn't a real character in the books if you guys wanted to know. Don't bother trying to guess who she is. **


	2. Discovery

**Wow, 60 reviews already on my other story? Guess this one's a little overdue. **

**Disclaimer: What do you think?**

* * *

It took nearly two weeks to go from her current location to Shelter #435.

Based on rumors, Shelter #435 used to be a bustling city filled with business-like people going about their day. It used to be the most populated city of what was the United States of America. Nowadays, it was used as a safe place to house and defend the homeless. There were a bunch of shelters located around the country. From the East Coast to the West Coast.

Of course, the girl didn't make it to the shelters without killing a couple of monsters or two.

"Take that!" she yelled. The girl thrusted her knife into the monster's belly. It immediately exploded into yellow dust. After a few kills, the girl discovered that the knife was much more effective for killing the creatures than any other weapon. She didn't know what was so special about it. Wasn't it just a regular knife?

The girl shrugged. Oh well, as long as it sent the creatures to whatever hellish place they came from, she was fine with it.

After a few kills, the girl was literally an expert at killing them. She learned from experience and common sense. Hurting them in the leg won't do you any good. But stabbing them in the head or chest area- that was sure to kill them.

She wiped some sweat off her brow. The sky was a colorful array of oranges, yellows, and purples. The sun itself was already going down, it's bright light now calmed down to a soft orange. Pretty soon, it was going to be dark. And that's why the girl should be hurrying up to her destination.

The girl looked around at the collapsed buildings, looking for that person. "Now where is she…?"

As she walked around, she saw a couple of people wandering about it. In comparison, she was in much better health than them. People of all ages were huddled in groups, trying to keep warm. The girl wished that she could help them in some way, but she simply did not have the means to do it.

After a while she finally stumbled upon the location of her informant. The girl did not know much of the lady, all she knew was that she was once the daughter of a big-shot company. She had been 16 when it started and miraculously managed to survive into her early 30's. Quite the achievement nowadays.

"Ah Helen. How nice to see you again," the woman said. "I see you're still alive and doing well." She was sitting crosslegged on a pile of rubble. Her red hair was tangled in knots and her clothes had colorful stains on them. She had a pair of blue glasses on the bridge of her freckled nose. Beside her, there was a piece of paper with vibrant streaks of color artfully put on.

"Hello, Miss. Dare. How are you? " the Helen politely answered. She gave a little respectful bow and sat down across from the woman. She brought out her bag and took out the stuff that she found at the abandoned field. "I found some stuff on Long Island, but I can't read it. Would you mind translating for me?

"I'm doing well. And please, just call me Rachel. I told you that thousands of times," the woman grinned. She took the piece of paper out of the girl's hands. "Now what do we have here…"

The girl patiently waited for her to finish. she watched Rachel's face turn to shock, then to a slight smile, then to disbelief. She wondered if the woman actually knew who wrote this letter.

Rachel adjusted her glasses. "And to think...after all these years, they're still here. Heh take that Gaia! You tried to wipe them out and you couldn't!" She gave off a big, hearty laugh. The people around them rolled their eyes. The girl was beginning to think this woman was mad after all.

"Um, Miss? What did that letter actually say?"

Rachel wiped off the tears that were coming from her eyes. "Oh, sorry about that dear. It's just that, I've never expected you to find this." She leaned over. "You probably won't understand it, but it doesn't really matter anyway. I'll read it out to you." She patted the area next to her.

Scooching over there, Helen peered at the letter- curious about it's contents.

"September 1st, 20XX.

Dear any remaining mortal that happens to read this,

As you probably know, the world experienced what was known as an 'apocalypse.' Sadly, that was caused by mostly our fault. We were the people that let the monsters wreak havoc in your world. Yes, I know you're probably mad at me right now, or you're deducing me as an old man who lost their marbles- and maybe I have. Just hear me out for a second would you?

At first we were winning, the Romans and the Greeks settled their differences and banded together to defeat the Earth goddess.

Of course, nothing turned out as planned- like it always does.

A series of unfortunate events happened, too confusing to explain to the likes of you. The next thing we knew, we were cornered. We made our last stand at Camp Half-Blood (that destroyed field where you found this message) and the Romans made theirs at Camp Jupiter."

Helen noticed that there were dark stains smudging the ink now.

"And thus, here I am now. Writing this letter and packing up some stuff that survived the invasion, hoping that somebody will happen across this. There should be some things under the bottom of this, take a look at them would you? They would give some more explanation on what exactly happened.

I bid you goodbye and goodluck to the person reading this. You're going to need it.

Chiron."

"You just had to die didn't you," Rachel sniffed. She had a smile on her face, one of sadness and acceptance. "You and the rest of your kind."

Helen was confused. "Who's Chiron?"

"He was an old friend of mines, that's all you need to know," the woman answered. "Now why don't you lead me to the place where you found it, eh?" She got up and dusted herself off.

"But, aren't you too old? You don't even know how to fight!" Helen protested.

"Nonsense! I may not look like it, but I poked at Titan's eye out with a hairbrush!" she scolded. Sure enough, she pulled out a bright and blue hairbrush. "Now, lead the way!"


	3. This is Where We Fall

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO.**

* * *

Tension was thick in the air around Camp Half-Blood. It has been two weeks since the Seven left for Greece and word still hasn't come back from them yet. This would be normal most of the time, demigods didn't have contact for at least a week after embarking on a quest. But this wasn't just any quest, it was a quest that would decide the fate of the world.

The Camp was trying to defend itself from the massive surge of monsters that invaded it's grounds. The Romans left for their camp when they heard the same thing was happening to their home.

It wasn't working out so well.

The demigods were reaching the end of the line. Every one of them were exhausted from fighting to much. Many were injured and are currently nursing their wounds at the Big House, Apollo's children were running left and right trying to tend to their needs. Their only gleam of hope was that the Seven would get back safe and sound from their quest.

Chiron looked on sadly at the carnage laid before him. Bodies of the newly dead were scattered about and those who were still alive were limping back. The monsters have decided to leave them be for now, but they'll be back. They always will be.

He himself has also been injured severely in the last two days. His front legs were broken, rendering him incapable of walking. Chiron's injuries has greatly decreased the overall morale of the camp. If their teacher got hurt, why can't they?

There was a sense of hopelessness felt all around the camp. Even the Hermes cabin has stopped pulling pranks- a sure sign that the world was going to end. Chiron hated to admit it, but their escapades brought fun and amusement to the camper's lives. Even if they were troublesome.

Everyday, Chiron listened for an Iris Message, an eagle, anything to let him know that they were still alive. He slumped into his seat. Yes, they were all probably going to die here…

"Um, sir? Can I come in?" A young girl of about 12 years of age entered his room. Her brown hair was messy and knotted and her clothes had blood stains on them. All and all, she didn't exactly paint the picture of perfect health. "Can I ask you a question if you don't mind?"

Chiron plastered a smile on his face. "Of course you can. Now what do you want to ask?"

The girl tentatively stepped inside. She looked down at her shoes. "I was wondering, are we all going to die?"

The centaur had a contemplative look on his face. "That I don't know. There's still hope for us. The gods are fighting their own war on Olympus and your comrades in Greece are probably going doing their best to fight Gaia. If they fail, well, then we most certainly are going to die."

"I-I see. Thank you sir. I'll on my way now." The girl softly made her way out of his office.

Chiron let out a big sigh. They better get back alive. But just in case they don't…

He opened one of his drawers in his desk and brought out a piece of paper and an ink pen. Knowing Gaia, she won't just stop at Greece, she'll probably move on to Camp Jupiter and Camp Half-Blood. Depending on how much is destroyed, the mortal world would soon forget the history of Greece and Rome. Their glories and accomplishments. Nearly 3000 years of history _gone. _

Chiron would make sure that would not happen.

He set the pen down and began writing, first a letter of introduction and then moving on to explain some other stuff. He made each description through and descriptive- not leaving a detail out of place. It took a long time for him to finish, you can't just write down the history of a whole entire civilization in one day.

By the time he was finished, one year had already passed. A lot of things has happened in one year to say the least. For one thing, a couple of months ago, word has broke out that the Seven failed in their quest and now all the world shall pay for it. The monsters that were attacking the camp was much envigorated by this news, much to the displeasure of it's inhabitants.

Indeed, he was the only left now. The Giants has decided to spare him since he was going to die anyway. There were no heroes to train and more weren't coming anytime soon. Chiron could feel his body getting weaker as each day passed. Soon, he would fade away into nothingness.

Chiron let out a dry laugh. It's weird how such an old being like him will leave the world in such a peaceful way. He was expecting to die in battle, like a hero. Instead, he got the more painful way of dying. Dying alone, slow and painful.

With the last of his energy, he stacked the last of the boxes on top of one another. Each one containing a piece of history, a memory if you will. They were filled with paper and pictures of a long dead age. An age where happiness blossomed and everything was at peace.

Slowly, he laid down. As he drifted off to sleep, Chiron hoped that whoever found this was a good spirited person, one that would like to learn about the past. By then, he wished the world was in a happier state then it is now. Throughout history, it has shown that people have a more interest to learn in peaceful times. Take the Renaissance for example.

It was a period of rebirth for Europe. The interest in the arts and culture was revived again after the Black Plague. Perhaps the same thing would happen again, history has a way of repeating itself you know.

At long last, the centaur would get to rest. He was old, really old. The war has taken it's toll on him.

The world may have ended, but Chiron made sure that the world before this was not forgotten. Not now, not ever. In this way, he supposed, a person could be _immortal_.


End file.
